Posts tagged "strategic planning"

Once upon a time, the third generation CEO of A Midwestern USA machinery manufacturer was in a fast downhill spiral, losing money rapidly due to strong competition in Europe and the strong US dollar exchange rate. Things looked dismal and the red inked flowed. No matter what this CEO did, he couldn’t seem to reverse the trend and get in the black.

In this series, we have polled HR experts in various fields to help determine what the Growth Strategies are in getting the right people for your organization. To see posts #1 and #2, go to www.corporatestrategy.com and click on blogs. Part #1 covered the question of the candidates technical fit for the job, part #2 covered the candidates cultural fit for the organization. In this, the 3rd part, we are asking the question: When looking at a resume, what do you find most significant?

A dear friend and prominent lawyer brought today’s topic series to my attention. He says one of the keys to the success of his firm is getting the right mix of people. Over his career, he has seen many firms implode because the struggle to find and retain the right mix of personalities could not be overcome. Having a great corporate strategy, a written and well thought out strategic plan but the wrong mix of people will not get the best results. With over 20 years in the corporate consulting world, I can certainly attest that having the right mix of people will get better outcomes in almost every parameter you care to use. The corporate strategy, the strategic plan and the right mix of people are important to achieving the very highest outcome. I can’t name a single company that has employees that doesn’t struggle with the mix-of-people issue once in a while.

The current issue of Harvard Business Review article* by Justin Fox and Jay Lorsch of Harvard are arguing the importance of the individual shareholder in the wake of the trend of institutional shareholders now comprising more than 50% of stock ownership. With Facebook’s Zuckerberg doing an end run around the individual shareholders, he owns controlling interest in Facebook.